Everything you need to know about the Apple AirPods Max
Your beloved AirPods just got supersized
Today Apple unveiled the AirPods Max, their new wireless headphones that "bring the magic of AirPods to an over-ear design."
Clearly Apple is targeting Christmas shoppers and is set to make the AirPods Max the must-have tech purchase of the holiday season. The price is an eye-watering £550 ($549) but we predict its unlikely to deter fans of the brand, and consumers who are generally more forgiving when it comes to the price point for Apple products. The headphones come in five colours; grey, silver, blue, green, and pink, and are available from the 15th of December.
The AirPods Max combine advanced software to power audio for a superior listening experience with active noise cancellation and transparency mode, which you may have already experienced with their classic AirPods.
“AirPods are the most popular headphones in the world, beloved for their effortless setup, incredible sound quality, and iconic design. With AirPods Max, we are bringing that magical AirPods experience to a stunning over-ear design with high-fidelity audio,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing. “The custom acoustic design, combined with powerful H1 chips, and advanced software enable AirPods Max to use computational audio to wirelessly deliver the ultimate personal listening experience.”
But how does it actually work? Let us tell you.
The Design
The breathable knit mesh canopy, spanning the headband, is made to distribute weight and reduce on-head pressure.
Each ear cup attaches to the headband through a mechanism that balances and distributes ear cup pressure, and allows it to independently pivot and rotate to fit the unique contours of a user’s head.
Each ear cushion uses acoustically engineered memory foam to create an effective seal — a critical factor in delivering immersive sound.
The Digital Crown is inspired by the Apple Watch, offering precise volume control and the ability to play or pause audio, skip tracks, answer or end phone calls, and activate Siri.
The Listening Experience
AirPods Max deliver immersive sound through Active Noise Cancellation so users can focus on what they are listening to. Essentially they use white-noise to drown out environmental noise, which is what makes the noise cancellation so effective.
The headphones feature a 40-mm dynamic driver that provides rich, deep bass, accurate mid-ranges, and crisp, clean high-frequency extension so every note can be heard.
Battery
The battery life lasts up to 20 hours of high-fidelity audio, talk time, or movie playback, even with active noise cancellation enabled.
They come with a 'Smart Case' that puts AirPods Max in an ultralow power state helping to preserve battery when not in use.
Bonus Features
When playing music on Mac, users can easily take a call on iPhone and AirPods Max will automatically switch over.
Audio Sharing makes it possible to easily share a listening experience between two sets of AirPods on one iPhone or iPad. (Useful if you are travelling and both want to watch a film from one device.) Simply bring AirPods Max near the device and connect with a single tap.
Siri is enabled and can read incoming messages as they arrive, so you don't miss out on important notifications.